Our new Pole walking induction has been trialled to great effect and both our Nordic Walking UK and WALX Instructors have completed their training so they are ready to deliver it all over the UK. The POWER of POLES Induction is totally unique in that it explores the use of both strapless and Nordic walking poles to aid the user gain the best technique and results! It’s fast, highly effective and really comprehensive!

The intro course is only 90 minutes and starts with the strapless moulded handle fitness walking poles devised by our partners Urban Poling in Canada. This enables the walker to gain greater core engagement and master the upper body elements that provide propulsion and increased exercise benefits.

One of the creators of the POP course Martin Christie explains ” We found that the moulded handle immediately helped people to gain the correct pole angle and light grip which in turn encouraged the correct shoulder movement which is essential to propulsion”

He adds ” We have taught many methods since first introducing Nordic Walking into the UK and have always wanted to improve customer experience whilst ensuring effective technique. This new approach has enabled us to minimise a lot of the areas that people tended to find difficult initially (not bending the arms at the elbow, pushing into pole straps etc) which allows us to ‘layer’ their learning in a really positive way”

This is followed by a trial of the traditional Nordic style strapped poles to show how variations in technique and range of movement can help the user get the most out of either pole type. The Instructors’ cover pole sizing and work with each individual to ascertain what they want to gain from poles – this could be anything from rehabilitation for a bad knees to weight loss, training for a challenge event or even progressing to running with poles. “Our Instructors can signpost you to all of these and if the basics are right from the start …anything is possible ” says Martin

Skills covered in the session include hill techniques and clear advice around the types of poles available and the how to choose the right ones for you. Most Instructors provide strapless poles for the induction sessions as part of the course and these are easy to wipe clean so fit within our Coronavirus gudelines.

Once they have mastered the basics in session one, clients can gain the FREEDOM passport which opens up access to Nordic WALX at an appropriate level with both of our brands. Prior to lockdown that was circa 2,000 walks a week and growing fast!

Step two for those who want to explore technique further is the Power of Poles session two where the focus is on mastering the Nordic walking straps and more advanced techniques which are so much easier if the core moves have been mastered correctly and faults ironed out! This session also covers more fitness based moves such as leaping, bounding and skipping with poles (although these are optional)

If you would like to join us to discover the POWER of POLES – visit our search portal HERE and pop in your postcode . You can search for Power of the Poles courses, Tasters and even get a feel the regular walks and workouts in your area.

To find out more about the poles we use visit our store HERE